New reasonable adjustments process for staff with a disability or long term health condition
This new process sets out roles and responsibilities, has an Individual Adjustments Plan that line managers and members of staff can work through and record any agreed adjustments and provides some useful guidance for line managers.
The Culture and Good Practice Working Group has developed this new reasonable adjustment process for staff with a disability or long term health condition. The process sets out:
- clear responsibilities for line managers, HR Advisors and individual members of staff
- created a new Individual Adjustments Plan that line managers and members of staff can work through and record any agreed adjustments. This plan is a live document and can be updated regularly and shared with a new line manager if the member of staff moves roles.
- developed some useful guidance for line managers
We hope this will make the process clear and easier to follow for everyone. During the development of the process we consulted disabled members of staff and feedback received included this quote - 'It is great to see it framed in terms of being supportive and enabling, rather than as a capability issue'.
- See the new process on the HR webpages.
- See also our Disability inclusion framework
FAQs
The first point of contact for members of staff should be their line manager. Further advice can be sought from Occupational Health and the HR Operations Team (hr_operations@york.ac.uk)
Line Managers who need help in deciding whether an adjustment is reasonable should seek advice from their HR Adviser or the Equality & Diversity Team.
Yes. You should ask your line manager to meet with you to review your Individual Adjustment Plan. It is recommended that the Individual Adjustment Plan is reviewed and, where necessary, updated on a regular basis with your line manager.
Yes, the purpose of the Individual Adjustment Plan is to encourage proactive conversations between line managers and staff about how a particular condition has an impact on their work.
For example, a member of staff may wish to discuss with their line manager how the symptoms of the menopause may have an impact on their work, the Menopause guidance could be reviewed at this stage and any agreed adjustments can then be recorded in the plan.
No. If the adjustments you require can reasonably be managed by your team (with support from their HR Adviser where necessary, and with informed consent), then you can use an individual adjustment plan.
If the university requires a more detailed assessment to be carried out by an Occupational Health (OH) professional, then a referral should be made.
If you already have, or are currently going through, an OH consultation, you do NOT need to complete an individual adjustment plan, unless a new condition arises which you would prefer to manage separately.
For example: An individual with an existing physical disability with an undiagnosed invisible disability such as autistic spectrum condition may wish to use an individual adjustment plan to help to manage the symptoms of their autistic spectrum condition, while the OH referral will manage their physical accessibility adjustments.
No, the university will not have any record of your completion of an individual adjustment plan, unless you or your line manager (with your informed consent) has contacted your department’s HR Adviser, EDI Team and or Occupational Health. You are able to share this with colleagues at your discretion if you wish.
You are encouraged to discuss aspects of flexible working that would help you to carry out your role, for example, a different start and finish time. However, any formal Flexible Working requests should still be managed through the university's existing Flexible Working policies
Additional information and sources of support
Internal
- Line manager
- Occupational Health
- HR Operations (hr-operations@york.ac.uk)
- Support for disabled staff
- Disability in Employment Policy
- INCLUDE